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Two-time world champion hammer thrower Pawel Fajdek. Alexander Zemlianichenko

World champion hammer thrower used gold medal to pay for taxi after night out

Taxi fares in Beijing aren’t cheap.

MANY OF US will be familiar with the feeling of waking up after a night out to discover that you’ve managed to lose one of your possessions: a phone, wallet or an eyebrow, perhaps.

However, that probably doesn’t compare to the sense of panic that must have overcome Pawel Fajdek yesterday when he got out of bed and found that he was missing a gold medal.

On Sunday, Fajdek was victorious in the hammer throw at the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing — his second world title. The 26-year-old naturally felt the need to celebrate that achievement and he obviously didn’t hold back.

According to Chinese media outlet Tencent, Fajdek drank so much that he ended up using his gold medal to pay for a taxi back to his accommodation. When he woke up the following morning and found that his medal was gone, Fajdek contacted the police to report it missing.

Luckily for the Pole, the authorities helped him to retrace his steps and they eventually tracked down the taxi driver, who told them that Fajdek had willingly handed his medal over in payment. Much to Fajdek’s relief, the driver returned the medal.

Polish journalists in Beijing to cover the championships apparently saw Fajdek at a restaurant on Sunday night, where the athlete had “drunk a lot in the celebration party” to toast his victory.

H/T: The Independent 

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